Sabotage
by ClearBlueSkyy
Summary: Emery Connolly and George Weasley are madly, deeply, unconditionally, and irrevocably in love. But love can prove to be cruel and foul thing, especially when Draco Malfoy finds a way into the mix.
1. Chapter 1 : New Target

**ClearBlueSkyy here, and this is my first fanfiction, so be gentle when you read it, it may need room for improvement. Rates/Reviews! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer : I am not, nor will I ever be J.K. Rowling. I therefore do not own any and all characters from her Harry Potter series. I only own Emery Connolly. And I don't have a lawyer so...**

"How was your summer Draco?" A dull voice came from across the table.

Draco Malfoy looked up from his plate of turkey and stuffing that he was lazily poking and prodding with little interest in the predictable assortment of food the Sorting Dinner provided. He had sat through this same ceremony for 5 years now. Every year the same. He hoped secretly that someone would just choke on their food just for a little excitement beside watching one new student after another receive their fate from underneath the Sorting Hat.

He found his fellow house mates (not exactly what he would label as his "friends") Crabbe and Goyle staring at him for an answer. Rolling his eyes, Draco set his fork down and met their gazes with a sneer.

"Better than yours, I'd imagine, Crabbe," he replied with an agitated tone, his eyes drifting from one table to another. Same faces. Same groups of friends. Same bullshit. Same fucking Harry Potter.

A hand moving up his thigh signaled that Pansy Parkinson had found him, and the strong smell of the musky perfume she wore only confirmed his senses she was there. He thought he had lost her on the carriage ride to the castle, but she had this way of coming back, like a reoccurring nightmare. One last tight squeeze, with an added bonus of finger nails digging into his leg, she removed her hand and began to pile her dish with various foods.

"Evening, Draco." She purred, with a little too much effort. Same Pansy. The desperate need of attention in return for the large amounts she gave to him. But Draco wasn't, nor did he give two shits, about giving attention to anyone; though, he allowed it to pour in from Pansy as it fueled his growing self-awareness that he was, in fact, the Prince of Slytherin. He could have ruled not only the rest of his house, but the other houses as well, if it wasn't for Potter, and the rest of his blood-traitor Gryffindors.

His eyes fell upon the Golden Trio, they sat close together, their heads down in deep discussion over Merlin only knew what. Draco, with as much hate for Harry, felt indifferent about another year of trying to beat Potter's ego down. It was all too familiar. He needed something else to do this year. Draco wanted, no, needed to rip apart something from the inside out. He needed to destroy. He needed chaos at its finest. He needed that feeling he got as he watched something beautiful fall apart and die. As much as he wanted, he couldn't deny that trying to kill off the Golden Trio was damn-near impossible, even for him. The suffering would just have to come from someone else.

Draco Malfoy was not the spineless arrogant son-of-a-bitch that every other student at Hogwarts made him out to be. Of course, his third year was not the best supportive evidence to that argument, what with the Hippogriff incident, and Mudblood catching a right-hook to his nose. Granted, his home life was not exactly what you would call okay, but it wasn't an excuse to the level he let himself sink to.

He wasn't one to be obvious when it came to things like this. He liked to do his dirty work behind the scenes, almost like a puppet master. Manipulative might as well have been his middle name, it wasn't hard to get anyone to fall at his every word. If he says jump, they better damn well jump, or he'll push them off the edge himself. The whole Slytherin house was to him at the snap of a finger. Draco found amusement in the suffering of others, and it gave him a sick sort of pride in knowing it was all because of him.

He scanned down the rest of the Gryffindor table, his mind running at full tilt as he picked through every soul sitting there, ideas filling his mind to its limit. He stopped when he seen two identical red heads with their backs to the Slytherin table. Something clicked in his head for a moment, but he paused.

Fred and George Weasley. They were not one without the other. Trying to tear apart two brothers, twins for that matter, of one of the closest families in the Wizarding World would be a triumph that would go down in Malfoy history. But no matter how Draco turned over countless ideas in his head, he just couldn't figure out how to even infiltrate them by himself. Another impossible situation.

It seemed hopeless, and his heart had been set on a Gryffindor. His icy gaze watched as one of the red heads, George, turned away from his brother to a petite blonde to his left. The gears in his mind stopped idling, and began to turn slowly as he watched George press his forehead to the blonde's. Her name was Emery Connolly, a tiny 5th year who was just as wild as the Weasley Twins, but most Hogwarts students would agree, she had the biggest heart and cared deeply and truly about those close to her. If you earned your place in Emery's heart, you were set for life. Her blond hair was identical to Draco's in color, and cut in a wild fashion, falling to her chin. Her bright green eyes gave Ireland a run for it's money. And , most of all, she was George Weasley's girlfriend ever since her 3rd year, and his 5th.

George's nose bumped her own very softly in a subtle hint of affection, and the blond smiled as he planted a kiss on her lips, throwing her into a small fit of giggles.

Draco knew they were the "it" couple of Gryffindor. 2 years of being together under their belts, and it was obvious the other part of George that didn't belong to his brother Fred, belonged to her.

A trademark smirk crept across his face. He finally found something to destroy.


	2. Chapter 2 : Lucky

_Taking any sort of potion that contains this plant can have dire consequences. Side effects can range from slight dizziness to paralysis. The root is the only known innoxious part, and is used in bone regrowing potions. Cutting the root off from the plant itself is where caution must be taken..._

Potions was Emery's least favorite subject, but she forced herself to read the assigned pages of her potions text that Snape had given as homework. Not even a week into the school year and already she had written 2 essays, both 12 inches, for the greasy bastard.

Running a hand through her hair that was sticking out everywhere today, she turned to the next page and kept on reading. Pretending to read was more like it.

The stillness of the common room was too peaceful to waste time reading potions material. Most of the students in the house had already gone up to the dormitories to get some much needed rest after the first grueling week at Hogwarts. However, her boyfriend George and his brother Fred had been out all over the castle selling their latest and greatest product the Skiving Snackbox, filled with various creations the two of them had labored on over the summer holiday.

Emery glanced at the clock on the wall, it was almost midnight. The fire in the common room was dying fast and she took it as an opportunity to put down the potions book. Logs were stacked up next to the grand fireplace, and she picked up two heavy ones and tossed them into the dying flame. She watched as the new logs helped fuel the flames and waited until it was a roaring fire once more before she returned back to her spot on the sofa.

She lay down, getting herself in a comfortable position to rest her eyes until the two redheaded twins made their appearance.

"Is she dead?" Fred asked his brother, poking a sleeping Emery with his wand. His face twisted into one of disgust as he did so. George winked at him, taking his wand out and joined in on the poking.

"Sure smells like she's dead," he knelt down to her level and sniffed around, still prodding her with his wand, and quickly retracted with a similar look of disgust his twin had, "We need to dispose of this body, Fred."

"Agreed. The rest of these students shouldn't have to face a rotting corpse. Especially one as foul as this." Each twin grabbed an limb. Fred the legs, George the arms, and they heaved Emery up off the couch. At this point, she had awaken and was royally pissed.

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY, PUT ME DOWN!" She ordered the two grinning boys.

George faked a gasp, "Merlin! It talked! It's back from the dead!"

"KILL IT GEROGE!" Fred wailed in mock fright, dropping Emery's legs and running for his life up to the boys dormitory.

"Some brave soul you are!" George yelled up to his twin, who merely chuckled in reply before closing the door behind him.

Emery stared up at George who still had her arms held up in his grip, and cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry love." He apologized and freed her arms allowing her to fall back into the couch, and she sat up quickly.

"Not excepted, Weasley." She folded her arms tight over her chest and glared up at him. He returned her pouting by rustling her hair roughly, making her hair stick up even more.

"Well," he started in an offended tone, "You can sleep in your own room tonight."

Emery scoffed, "You wouldn't!" She turned to glare at him again, but George was no where to be found. Puzzled, she craned her neck to check everywhere behind the couch, but he was gone.

"George, where did you..." She rotated her head back around and was instantly met by a pair of lips. She sighed and fell into the kiss with a smile and allowed George to push her softly down onto the couch as he crawled on top of her to deepen the kiss at a better angle.

She loved how he always tasted of mint and orange, a type of hard sweet that he would suck on frequently throughout the day. He had always done it, and his mouth had sort of acquired the taste, and it was a nice added bonus to Emery when they kissed.

George pulled away slightly to catch his breath and Emery took the opportunity to lick her lips and get a stronger taste of orange-mint. Before she retracted her tongue back, his lips were back on hers, and her mind went blurry as it always did. All she thought of was the taste of George and the feeling of his lips warm and moist against hers. Her hands snaked down to his lower back and she lightly dragged her nails up his back which caused George to shiver slightly.

They both knew what each other loved when they became intimate, and would always try new things. Recently Emery found out that George loved the light scratching she would do when he did something that felt good. She liked to make George as happy as she could, and he did likewise for her. It was a mutual thing, and it was nice to have plenty of ideas to work with, since Emery was still a virgin, and planned on keeping it that way. A vow she swore not to break, but lately with George it was getting harder and harder to keep that promise she made to herself. He wasn't helping any at the moment as his hand slipped under her shirt and teased the bottom of her bra with his fingers. Emery sighed against his lips and wrapped her legs tightly around his, creating a friction as his pelvis ground into hers in a rhythmic movement. A strong sensation built up in the pit of her stomach as the kiss became rougher. Things were quickly approaching the point of no return, and with deep regret she pushed George away slightly, ending their session with quick soft kisses that reminded George he needed to stop.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized, but George smiled warmly at her and kissed her forehead.

"S'okay, love," he lifted himself up off of her and pulled her up into his arms, "I certainly did enjoy myself, if you know what I mean," he added with an eyebrow wiggle that caused Emery to giggle despite herself. She hated keeping George on the edge sometimes, but he never showed any sign of disappointment, which Emery was grateful for.

She wondered sometimes how she got so lucky when she found George Weasley.


	3. Chapter 3 : Pity and the Noble Steed

**How am I doing so far? Let me know in a Review! It'd be much appreciated. **

**Disclaimer : I am not, nor will I ever be J.K. Rowling. I therefore do not own any and all characters from her Harry Potter series. I only own Emery Connolly. I don't have a lawyer so...**

* * *

Emery, like most of the school, had gotten used to the fact that Hogwarts could not keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to save its life. At least, since Harry Potter showed up. Lupin had by far out of all her years at the school, been her favorite. She felt like she actually learned things, willingly, because they way he taught, he could make a rotting pumpkin sound fascinating.

As far as Umbridge went, well, she'd rather stick her hand in a cage of angry blast-ended skrewts than sit through her class. Emery wouldn't even call it a class, it was more like a "ministry regulation". And a giant load of bullocks.

She took a seat next to Hermione Granger today who smiled warmly up at her.

"Ready for class, Emery?" She asked, pulling her book out of her bag and setting it down carefully on the desk. Emery rolled her eyes and the two girls giggled.

"I was tempted to take a Puking Pastil from Fred and George," Hermione gave a disapproving look, "but, I would much rather enjoy what little I can from this class with you," Emery finished winning Hermione back for the moment. Even though she knew Hermione didn't agree with the old bat too, she still sat attentively and took precise notes.

Once the class had settled in, the students sat chatting with their friends until the office door swung open and Umbridge descended the staircase to the lower level of the classroom. One by one everyone fell to a deafening silence and the toad-like woman cleared her throat and smiled. Emery just stared past her.

"Good afternoon, class." Her voice sounded like honey, but you'd have to be a complete nutter not to know there was something dark living in this woman's soul. Emery seen the scars on Harry's hand.

Umbridge began to walk through the rows of desks, " Today you will be reading on curses-"

"Unforgivable?" Harry Potter interrupted. Emery shifted her focus to Harry who sat in the desk just ahead of her. She heard Hermione hiss under her breath.

"No, Mr. Potter, safe and simple defensive spells, which you will just be read-"

"Practicing?" He interrupted again. Umbridge kept her demeanor in check but you could see the annoyance in her eyes when she turned around by Harry's desk and stared down at him.

"No." She smiled, and Ron nudged Harry to get him to keep quiet. Harry slumped back in his chair and clutched his scarred hand into a tight fist under his desk. A couple of Slytherins snickered.

Lately it seemed Harry had a hard time controlling his temper in the class. Emery couldn't blame him, not only was the class a joke, they shared it with Slytherins, who Umbridge shared an overwhelming preference to. It was just like Potions with Professor Snape all over again, and she already sat through that class this morning.

"That's too bad Potter," came Draco Malfoy's mocking tone from behind her, "I would have enjoyed practicing the _Cruciatus_ curse." He emphasized the curse with an underlying threat that went unnoticed by Umbridge as she made her way back to her own desk and sat down in her 'mistress-of-ceremonies' chair over-looking the class with watchful eyes. Harry didn't bother turning around, but Malfoy pressed on.

"Still sour about not getting the prefect deal like Granger and Weasle?" Most of Emery's house assumed Harry would have received it, not Ron, but in truth, Harry didn't mind at all, at least not until Malfoy brought it up"It's rude to hog the light all the time, you know." More snickering ensued from the Slytherins. Again, Umbridge kept quiet. Emery was quickly getting fed up with the taunting, even if she wasn't on the receiving end.

"Why don't you shove it, Malfoy? At least Hermione and Ron didn't get selected out of pity," she said, without lifting her eyes from her book. Hermione shrunk into her chair, glaring at Emery to keep her out of the argument.

"Pity? No no, you see Connolly, if it were pity, they would have picked Crabbe here," he smirked, and leaned over his desk to pat Crabbe's back which made him burp. "See? Not prefect type at all, but as far as pity goes, you really can't count Weasley out now can you?"

Emery sighed and turned around, "You know what, Malfoy?"

"That is quite enough Miss Connolly." Umbridge stepped in. _Go figure_, she thought.

"But, Professor-"

"I will not have this kind of behavior in my classroom. Throwing out accusations to Mr. Malfoy about his prefect position is very unacceptable. He earned his place... just like everyone else," Emery noted the last part was forced, "Detention, and 10 points from Gryffindor."

* * *

Draco Malfoy's normally smug face twisted into a triumphant sneer, which Emery didn't find too amusing as she turned her back from him and started her work. He normally didn't waste time on her, his particular favorites were the members of the Golden Trio, but his latest project meant that he needed to pay more attention to Emery and her actions. He noted she didn't lose too much composure when he retaliated, it was going to take a lot more to make her furious. She didn't waste too much time on her arguments, and this wasn't the first time she confronted his taunting. It was normally short and sweet. She made her point and moved on. This meant Draco was a low priority, nothing more than a fly in the room, and if it flew to close to her head, she would just swat it away, trusting it wouldn't come back.

He also noticed Emery was loyal to Potter and the like, but she wasn't dedicating her whole life to it. No, she was dedicated to something... or someone else. He knew if he was to get close to her, George Weasley would be the biggest obstacle.

Draco leaned back in his seat to stretch his back, and he watched as Emery tapped her pencil on her book as she read softly to a beat she hummed silently to herself. He'd worry about Weasley later, right now, he needed a way to get to Emery.

All this thinking of sabotage was starting to get him riled up, and he glanced over at Pansy Parkinson to his right. She realized he was looking at her quickly, giving him a broad smile. _She tries to hard_, he thought, only regretting for a second for what he was about to do. He raised his eyebrows at her, letting his hand fall on her thigh and squeezing it tightly. Pansy almost fell out of her chair in excitement. She knew what he wanted, and for the first time in weeks, she was going to give it to him. _Poor Pansy, always give, and never take._ Draco patted her leg and returned back to his Defense Against the Dark Arts book as Pansy counted down the minutes until class ended happily in her head.

* * *

Emery never experienced a detention like the one she had tonight. The lines... engraved into her hand burned, and it made her pride drop a little as tears escaped her eyes as she wrote. They fell onto the page, reminding her of where her pride was going as she continued to write the lines over and over 'I will not accuse'. Umbridge watched her with a sick sort of look in her eye, sipping her tea every so often. The ticking of the clock, and the soft mewing of the cat plates that adorned the walls made Emery want to scream as each motion of the quill seared into her skin. She tried to focus her mind and picture the cats jumping off the plates and attacking Umbridge, but it failed. The pain was all her mind could focus on. She bit hard on her lip to make the cuts on her hand hurt less. The insanity went on for an hour, and finally Umbridge cleared her throat.

"I think the message has sunk in, don't you?" She set down her flowery tea cup and it clanked softly on the china plate that matched. Emery didn't bother looking up, she didn't want to reveal the tears that had left stains on her cheeks and under her eyes. She simply nodded and stood to leave.

"No more accusations in my class from now on. The Ministry will not approve knowing that Dumbledore does not take behavior seriously, like the kind you shown today." But Emery didn't hear the last part, she was already out the door.

George looked up when he heard the door close and footsteps drag slowly out. Emery tried to smile as more tears poured out of her eyes as he took her in his arms.

"She's a wicked, wicked woman." She cried into his robes.

"I know, love. It's done now." He pulled her away so he could look at her, "No more tears, okay? She isn't worth it."

Emery sniffed and raised her scarred hand so George could see. His face twisted into sympathy as he took her hand into his and examined it.

"Ouch, Em. I'd be crying too. But aren't scars supposed to be a turn on of sorts?" He got a smile out of her that time, even a small laugh. She took her hand back and nursed it with her own.

"I think it only works if a guy has one, makes him more manly."

"Are you saying I'm not manly?"

"Well..."

He scoffed, "How am I, George Weasley, hottest beater in Gryffindor history, not manly?"

"Good looks has nothing to do with manliness, dear." Emery reminded him, leaning back on the stone wall with a smirk. George frowned and stepped back starting to pace.

"All the hours of training, the sweat, the blood, the tears," he lifted his shirt from under his robes revealing the abs from his years playing quidditch, "The muscles! And you say I'm no manly."

Emery rolled her eyes, amused by his rant. George threw up his hands in frustration.

"What makes a man, manly? Pray tell, because I'd love to hear it." Emery giggled.

"When a knight, **you**, rescues a damsel in distress, **me**, from the evil dragon,** Umbridge**, and sweeps her off her feet and rides off into the sunset on his noble steed. That makes a man, manly."

George just stared at her, until he couldn't keep a straight face and gave into the laugh that hung at the back of his throat.

"A noble steed? Fred's going to be insulted when he hears you called him that." Emery snorted which quickly turned into a fit of giggles, which George joined in on. Their laughs echoed down the empty halls making it sound like the walls were laughing along with them. Once the giggles turned into deep sighs as Emery regained herself, she pushed herself from the wall and walked back to George who swung and arm around her, leading her on the long walk back to the Gryffindor tower.

"You are very manly George," she reassured him, though they both knew she was joking when she said he wasn't.

"You're bloody right, I am." And with that he swept her off her feat and carried her back to the tower as he galloped away like a horse.


	4. Chapter 4 : Lost and Found

**Disclaimer : I am not, nor will I ever be J.K. Rowling. I therefore do not own any and all characters from her Harry Potter series. I only own Emery Connolly. I don't have a lawyer so...**

**a/n: First of all, I want to thank who ever made the 'Harry Potter Pick Up Lines' facebook page. I would like to give credit to them to 2 of the pick up lines you'll see in the following chapter. Secondly, hope you are enjoying this story so far. I have 2 subscribers! And I a review! So a big big thanks to you guys! This one is for you. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Look at her," George snarled as he leaned against the wall outside of the Charms classroom. Fred followed his brother's gaze to the individual.

He frowned, "Gross,"

"Hideous."

"Appalling."

"Repulsive."

"Gruesome."

"_Pink..._" Emery added. The twins looked at her, nodded, and went back to staring.

"Pink." They said in unison, agreeing with the short blond. The three of them stood close and watched Umbridge march down the corridor with a clipboard in hand, observing the student body as they scurried through the halls to get to their classes.

Emery rubbed the healed flesh of her hand when her gaze met with Umbridge's. The two shared a long look filled with a mutual hatred until the pink-clad professor continued on her way, only stopping for a moment by the twins and Emery to remind them that they could stand in the common room, _not_ in the hallways.

"Doesn't look like things are going to improve now that she's here," Emery mused as they ventured to the grand hall for lunch.

"She's been doing her evaluations of the school this week, heard even Snape had a rough time with the devil-woman," Fred used his index fingers as mock-horns as he pressed them to his head, grinning madly.

George attempted to copy Umbridge's voice, "I'm sure we will all be very good friends..." he held his wand beneath his chin and illuminated it to cast dark shadows over his face, "_in hell!_"

Emery rolled her eyes at the boys, pushing past them to get a better lead.

"Nutters, the both of you." She murmured to mainly herself. The twins were too preoccupied at the moment with their lousy Umbridge impressions to hear her.

Emery turned around after once she reached the staircase to make sure they were following her, but something hard stopped her dead in her tracks, and she toppled backwards. The object she ran into had fallen over as well, and grunted as it struggled to return to its feet.

"Walking isn't _that_ hard now is it?" The object spat. Emery looked up and instantly frowned.

"Excuse you, Malfoy." She pushed herself up off the ground and dusted off her robes. Feeling a bit lighter, she remembered her parcel that she dropped in the collision and went to reach for it, but Malfoy was quicker and snatched it out from under her hand.

"Please give it back Malfoy," she said, holding back the aggravation that was threatening to show. He could see she was holding back.

George and Fred appeared like angels of mercy just then, and Malfoy took a couple steps back.

"Problem there, blondie?" Fred asked, stepping in front of Emery.

Geroge followed suit, "Because if there is, we'd be more than happy to fix it."

Draco smirked, lifting Emery's parcel up and over the staircase's banister letting it swing freely above the 15 stories below. It happened almost in slow motion as his grip around the strap of the bag loosened until it was set free to tumble away.

Emery caught her breath in her throat. Parchment flew out of the bag, and drifted out over all the floors as it fell. Her homework, finished assignments, potions... _**Potions Essay! **_Emery groaned inwardly when she recalled the 12 inch essay on the Volubilis Potion she spent hours on the night before.

Malfoy gave a taunting smile, "Oops." He turned and leaped on a staircase that started to depart from Emery and the twins before the boys could grab him.

George cast him a dark look, "Why hasn't someone impaled that kid on a quidditch post yet?"

"I'm assuming it's because no one can catch the sly bastard." Fred answered, then turned to Emery, "We better start looking for your things."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to recover the lost papers and books. Although they took different floors, the students of Hogwarts had begun to collect the papers as they found them. One by one they were returned to the nearest Gryffindor until they reached the hands of Emery, George, and Fred. Unfortunately, this caused Emery and the twins to miss lunch, and she had Potions in just under 10 minutes.

"Thanks again you two," she hugged each of the grinning red-heads before departing down to the dungeons.

Fred ruffled her hair, "No problem, we'll make sure that little git gets what is coming to him." He then winked, and left George and Emery to be alone for a minute.

"So," George began, shuffling closer to Emery.

"So?" She smiled, waiting for him to plant a kiss before he went on his way.

"I have a quick question before I go."

"I have answers."

George took a deep breath, "Okay, here goes," he looked Emery dead in the eyes, "Are you using the Confundus charm or are you just naturally mind blowing?"

Emery didn't know which was funnier, the lame pick up line, or the fact he kept a straight face the entire time. She fell to the floor in fits of laughter, holding her side as it began to cramp from the muscle contractions.

"Oh Merlin," she chuckled, trying to catch her breath, "I can't breathe!" She looked up at George who feigned hurt. She was thrown back into her giggles, unable to stop.

"Oh sure, I throw my heart out and you just laugh. Typical women!" George stomped off, and Emery scambled to get herself up to run after him.

"George, hah- wait," she called and he slowed his pace until she caught up. When he turned to face her she jumped into his arms, pulling his face closer to her's, and kissed him deeply. George staggered backward from the force of the jump, but regained balance and returned the kiss.

"You... Are... Too...Cute," she said in between kisses, smiling brightly when she pulled away. George winked, then set her down back onto her feet. They leaned in for once more kiss, and before he could pull away, Emery whispered in his ear, "Is that a wand in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" She turned away without another word and walked down to the dungeons with a little swing in her hips. George watched her walk away, tempted to chase after her when she looked back over her shoulder at him flashing a sexy smile. He groaned, and walked in the opposite direction toward his twin. She was right about the 'wand'.

* * *

"Visit the lost and found there, Connolly?" Came a low drawl from behind Emery. She didn't bother turning around, knowing she'd just be provoked to smack the little bugger into next week.

"Nothing gets past you, Malfoy."

Emery sat down at her desk next to Seamus Finnigan. He nodded at her with a smile.

"Malfoy bothering you, eh?" He asked, watching as the blond Slytherin take his seat ahead of them.

"Really? How did you guess?" Her eyes narrowed as Draco leaned back on his chair so it rested on its two back legs. His head was just in range to receive a good whack from her potions book. A sly grin spread over her face, and Seamus looked befuddled.

"What's got you smirking over there?" He asked, watching as her hands gripped her _Advanced Potion Making_ text tightly in her hands and raising it over Malfoy's head.

"Woah woah woah!" Seamus intercepted the book before it collided with its intended target, and Emery cast him a dirty look. "Trying to get yourself killed there?"

"Actually, I was kind of hoping it would just kill him..." She admitted, snatching her book back from Seamus.

"I'd except you'd wouldn't do too much damage," he dropped his tone to a whisper, "his head is pretty thick to begin with." The two snickered silently.

Draco heard them when he leaned back to try and listen in to Emery's conversation with Finnigan. He wasn't a stranger to the nasty things other students said about him. 'Thick-headed' was a favorite from the Gryffindor house, but he heard worse from his own father. _These tossers wouldn't know an put-down if it bit them in the ass. _ Being thick-headed wasn't near as bad as being a disgrace to the family. Or not doing a fucking thing right with school or quidditch. His father never let him live down the fact the only student in his year that turned out better grades was a mudblood from Gryffindor. The curse left him in a healer's hands for days, until he walked out of St. Mungos without consent. The world didn't have room for weak links and pussies. After that incident his first year, he vowed to never take his fathers abuse laying down. This led to less curses, and a mutual understanding between father and son. He still hated him. The thought of his father made his blood run hot.

Maybe that was what caused his need to see that same sort of chaos fall upon others. Maybe he preferred to target those who had some sort of loving relationship. Granted, he knew his own mother loved him more than her own husband; Draco never felt it. He couldn't feel it, it was impossible to him. What was it that Emery Connolly did to deserve this perfect relationship with George Weasley? Draco had been to hell and back, seen wizards die in front of him, and been under the Cruciatus curse too many times to count. Why didn't he get to have the luxury of feelings?

Draco let the seat fall back onto all four legs. Things would change once he became a part of the Dark Lord's army. Until then, he would just have the amusement of toying with Emery.

Snape walked in. The classroom filled with silence while his steps echoed across the floor. When he passed Draco's desk, he looked down on upon him. Draco nodded. Snape raised his eyebrows, and pressed on forward to the front of the class.

"I have decided to make a change in the seating arrangements," Malfoy turned and smirked at Emery. Her mouth opened slightly in confusion and her and Seamus exchanged looks.

Snape pointed at the first desk, "Finnigan and Goyle." Seamus made a disgusted face and he reluctantly left his desk. Emery mouthed him a "what the hell" when he turned and looked at her with a regretful frown. She decided to make light of this situation for the student's sake.

Snape rambled off a few more pairings until he reached her desk and pointed to it. "Connolly, and..."

"Sir, I just want to stop you right there," Emery interrupted.

Snape glared, "What?"

"If you are placing Parkinson next to me, will I be provided with some popery or something of the sort? Perhaps a clothes pin? Sensitive nostrils, you see." Pansy shrieked from somewhere behind her, and a few Gryffindors laughed.

"Aren't we a comedian today, Miss Connolly?" Snape asked slowly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, I wanted to be an uptight bitch, but I couldn't find enough pink, sir. " Snape rolled his beady black eyes.

"Malfoy, you're next to Connolly."

On the bright side, she didn't have to sit next to Parkinson and that fowl perfume she always bathed in. On the dark side, Malfoy looked like it was bloody Christmas as he planted himself next to her.

"I have to agree with you," he said, looking behind him while Snape assigned seats to the rest of the class.

"Agree? You? Me? Gryffindor? Slytherin?" _That didn't come out right..._ she thought.

"Yes," he nodded, "Me," he pointed to himself, "Agree," he nodded once again, "You," he pointed to her.

"Smart ass."

"Just wanted to make sure it was slow enough for you to understand."

Emery snorted, "What is it you agree with me on?" At that moment Pansy walked by taking a seat in once of the desks opposite her and Malfoy. Emery's senses were soon filled with the over-powering smell of Pansy Parkinson's scent of choice.

"The lovely smell."

Emery couldn't believe the small chuckle emitting from Malfoy before he turned in his seat and struck up a conversation with Blaise Zabini. She eyed him warily, dumbfounded slightly, but she shrugged it off. He didn't dump her parcel down the grand staircase to joke with her about Pansy's perfume an hour later. Draco gave everyone hell, she just happened to mention something he agreed with. And by the looks of it, Ron was having a tough time with the smell, for he was the unfortunate soul who had been assigned to sit with Pansy. He at least had the common sense to move his chair as far as he could away from her, only breathing out his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5 : Attacked

**a/n: Sorry this one took so long. School started back up and I got a little side-tracked. Thank you all for the reviews and all to have subscribed to my story so far. This one is extra long, since it took so much time to get out. Hope you liked it!  
**

**Disclaimer : I am not, nor will I ever be J.K. Rowling. I therefore do not own any and all characters from her Harry Potter series. I only own Emery Connolly. I don't have a lawyer so...**

* * *

George's arm had fallen asleep 20 minutes ago and it left it tingling from the lack of blood circulation. He refused to move it out from under a slumbering Emery who fell asleep in his arms the moment the couple laid down on the common room couch. The past week had been rough on Emery and had driven her to barely keeping her eyes open when George watched her stumble out of her Charms class earlier. The poor girl had spent every night this week in the library bent over notes, open books, diagrams, and tiny vials filled with potion ingredients. Emery had stayed there until the prefects kicked her out around midnight, only to return to the common room to study even more. George would then wake up around 2 or 3 in the morning to find her sleeping on a pile of scattered papers. It hurt him to have to wake her up in the mornings for class when he knew all she needed was more than 4 hours of rest.

Right now he let her sleep on his numb arm, she deserved a small nap. While he watched her chest rise and fall steadily, he deliberated whether or not he should just let her sleep, but she had a test in Potions and then she was free. Just one more class...

"Em..." he nudged her lightly with his free hand. She normally was a light sleeper and would have been stirred awake but she was far beyond even a deep slumber. He shook her a little harder the second time and this time her eyes opened every couple of seconds until they gave up and fell close again.

Fred came bounding down the stairs just then, striding over to the couch to meet his brother.

"Sleeping like a rock, this one." George nodded down to Emery, a slight amount of drool escaped her lips.

Fred leaned over the back of the couch to look at them, "Plan on waking her?"

George shook his head, "Already tried, I almost don't want to, to be honest. This has to of been the most sleep she's had all week."

"Why is she pushing herself like this?"

"She wants to become a Healer, which means she has to pass her Potions class with flying colors, and Snape has thrown extra work on the class by "order of the ministry". He wanted to pile on a big test right before the first Hogsmeade trip."

"Speaking of trips, I ordered some extra supplies through Zonko's that we need to pick up when we go," Fred started towards the common room exit, "Don't forget!"

George rolled his eyes at his twin, "I never do." Fred snorted before taking his leave and abandoned his brother and Emery to find some fun. Again, George nudged Emery until her eyes stayed open.

"What... George?" She mumbled, wiping her mouth free of any wetness from sleep. She shifted off of his arm and it slowly started to regain feeling.

"Potions class, love." He reminded her, and she shot up off the couch. She frantically began to gather her things and shoving them into her parcel as she went.

"Why did you let me sleep? I could have studied more!" She scolded George as she hopped up and down trying to shove her foot into her shoe. Emery ended up losing her balance as she did so and toppled over on the floor in a heap of frustration.

George got off the couch and knelt down to her, "Em, you needed rest, you have been acting like a maniac all week over this test."

Emery panted struggling to get her shoe on, "You don't understand, he paired me up with Malfoy last week," she succeeded in fitting her foot in and began to crawl around on the floor to find her other shoe.

"And?"

"_And_," Emery quit moving and turned to look at him, "We are also paired up for the test. It's Draco bloody Malfoy. He'll make sure I fail."

"That has to be the most ridiculous thing I heard since mum told me she was having a boy named Ron," Emery glared at George, grabbing her shoe from underneath the couch and sliding her foot in, "He won't fail you if it means he will be failed as well. You're just overreacting, Em."

"I'll be sure to let you know if you're right," she snapped, heaving her self up off the ground and marching towards the portrait hole. George grabbed her before she could get too far. He spun her around to face him and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, then her mouth.

"You'll do fine," he whispered against her lips, "I promise."

Her eyes fell shut and she sighed outward letting all her frustration and anxiety leave her. She kissed him back and tugged at his hand.

"Walk me there?"

George couldn't resist her. She gave him that look. Her eyes lifted just enough to see through her lashes and the green contrast against the thick black was a sight he never grew tired of.

"Of course."

* * *

Draco Malfoy burst out of the Potions class in a sigh of relief, he knew he did well on the test. Hell, he barely even touched the ingredients. Connolly practically cursed him if he even reached a hand close to the cauldron. She took the test into her own hands, working fast and breaking little concentration. Sweat beaded on her forehead as Draco watched her pour ingredients in, checking everything with a sharp eye that would put his eagle owl to shame. His only work consisted of the written steps and walking the potion vial and attached parchment up to Snape who grunted in approval and gave the team an 'E'. His partner didn't say much after that, just smiled (more to herself than Draco) and left the classroom before anyone else. Draco stayed behind to clean up the work area before he let himself out of the classroom.

He roamed the empty halls and let his thoughts take over. His plan for Emery and George was not in any way initiated besides the idea of it. His small talk in Potion's was not enough to get him anywhere. Maybe he would have to give up – _No Draco! _His father's voice was clear as a bell. That was the only voice he heard inside his thoughts.

A wave of luck washed over him, and he caught a glimpse of the blonde as she bounded across the hall in front of him with her boyfriend trotting behind. Draco decided to follow, maybe something would shoot out at him. Perhaps a piece of information he could use to his advantage. Suddenly his tracking instincts kicked in and he trailed the couple through the halls of Hogwarts. His trail led him to the library and the couple tucked themselves away in a corner sheltered by towering bookcases.

Draco didn't want to march right on over, he made it less obvious and took his time scanning the shelves for a book that didn't exist. Before long he plucked a few books from the Astronomy section and made his way back to the corner where Emery and George sat. He was quiet, careful not to draw any attention. Nonchalantly took a seat at a desk behind them, opening the books and pulling out a blank sheet of parchment to occupy himself as he tuned in on the conversation. The two of them were too engrossed in what they were doing to even notice him.

"I am not over-studying ever again. That test was one of the easiest." Emery whispered to George, watching his scribble notes down from a Herbology book.

George flipped through a couple of pages, finding something he was satisfied with a jotted that down, "You were beginning to scare me. I was getting worried about you, love," she blushed. Draco gagged.

"Hogsmeade tomorrow still? Everyone else fell through about going to Three Broomsticks. Something about a sale on robes..." she trailed off, suddenly fascinated with a chunk of splintering wood on the table.

"Would I ever break a date?" George asked her, she shook her head, "Of course I wouldn't. After awhile though me and Fred have to go to Zonko's after awhile. Shipment normally doesn't come in till 5, so I'll do that with him last when you walk back up to the castle with everyone. It's going to take awhile for us because we want to talk business with him." George winked. Emery smiled and kissed him lightly on his shoulder, cuddling close to him while he worked.

"Good," she mumbled, "I barely seen you all week," _A whole week?_ Draco couldn't wrap his head around the concept of love.

Getting suddenly sick of the cute couple shit, Draco gathered his things and left the library, suddenly needing to write a letter.

* * *

It was a little bit chillier than normal for that first Hogsmeade trip, and Emery cursed herself for not bringing an extra sweater. She would have been perfectly fine in a knitted sweater from George's mom that she had quite a few of in her trunk back in her dorm, but George was excited to go and Emery didn't want to keep him waiting. They were one of the first to arrive, noses red from the frost-bitten air outside. They walked into Three Broomsticks, windows foggy from the warmth inside against the chilled air outside. The place was only occupied by a few other early Hogwarts arrivals, including Draco Malfoy and a few other high-ranking Slytherins. His steel gray eyes watched the two of the closely, waiting any minute for George's identical brother to rush in news that meant George would have to leave Emery alone for an afternoon. It cost him a pretty sickle, but he knew that the twins could not deny an unreleased sample of the winter products from Zonko's Joke Shop that wouldn't be out until well after Christmas.

Just as he predicted, Fred burst into the entrance of Three Broomsticks panting and red in the face, "George! This was sitting down in the Great Hall when I arrived with our names on it. You have to come see what is in here!"

Emery looked confused but George's eyes lit up at the boxes adorning the Zonko's glittering logo.

"What is it?" He asked while getting out of the booth, diving his hands into the colorful bags and retrieving them with small packages that read : Zonko's Winter Product Release.

"And these are-"

"Before anyone else can see-"

"Do you know what this-"

"We have to-"

The twins were speechless, gathering the packages into the bags and making a bee-line for the door, off to test the new products before anyone other of the wizards and witches at Hogwarts.

Emery piped in before they got too far, her face falling from a look of content to a hurt frown, "So, that means we aren't spending the day together..." Her voice was quiet and would have escaped the sharpest of ears, but George heard and turned. The two shared a long exchange of feelings through their eyes. Emery's full of disappointment, and George's desperate and pleading. The frown on Emery's face forced itself to make a smile, that turned out crooked and strained. She raised her hand to wave George away, but the twins had already exited.

As Draco watched and observed from the dark corner of his own booth, a malicious grin spread over his stony features. Time to make something happen.

He waited until Emery finished off her butterbeer and glumly left her abandoned booth, hugging her arms around her. After he believed it was a few minutes past, he left his own booth, unnoticed by the other's around him.

Draco didn't have much of a plan today, he was able to single out Emery, but after he had done that he hadn't thought of much else. Figuring he would just follow her until he was able to get her alone then maybe try and put on the "friend" routine. His biggest thing was to get Emery to talk to him outside of Potion's class. Once he could accomplish that, he merely had to keep the game up until he earned her trust, while slowly pulling the couple apart. His final plans weren't quite there yet, but he knew once the time came, he would have the perfect idea.

He broke through the doors into the crisp autumn afternoon, listening to the crunching of leaves Emery's shoes made just ahead of him. It reminded him of bones snapping under a tightened grip. Draco watched his timing to make sure it wasn't obvious he was following her, stopping every now and again to look at something in a shop window, then continuing on with Emery in his sights. She didn't make her escape to the castle right away like he thought she would. Instead she entered Honeydukes. A little stop wouldn't take too long, and he waited a few meters back before he entered the shop himself. He spotted her bleach blond hair poking just above one of the aisles, making her way to the back of the shop where they kept the chocolate frogs. The crowd thinned out back here, leaving perfect privacy for Draco to "bump into" Emery and perhaps give himself a little advantage. Drawing closer, he watched her slowly browse the lollipops and candy sticks, picking a few of her favorite flavors out. Just before reaching her, he began to inspect the array of candies himself, faking interest as he took his time walking the rest of the distance between him and Connolly. Before he reached her though, Angelina Johnson appeared on the other side of Emery.

"Emery! Have you seen Fred?" The taller girl asked, looking around the shop herself to see if she could spot the pair of redheads. Draco grunted in annoyance and ducked into a different aisle before the two girls could see him.

"Just a little bit ago. Him and George had some special merchandise sent to them from Zonko's and they took off to go play around with it." Her voice barely hinted her bitterness of Geroge breaking his date.

Angelina picked up on it though, "Aw, broke the date, eh? Isn't like him to do that." Emery nodded her head in agreement.

"Never broke a date once in his life. I get that it is Zonko's, but..."

"But his girlfriend needs attention too. I know what you're saying. But come on, Em. He is a guy, short attention spans, and unless you tell him you're upset he is not going to know. You know Fred and George, they practically worship Zonko's like deatheaters to You-Know-Who." The morbid comparison made Emery smile, which in turn lit up Angelina's face with a smile as well.

"S'pose so. Can't keep him tied down."

"Well," Angelina winked, "unless of course you're in his bed..."

"ANGELINA!" Emery gasped, pushing the darker girl's arm in horror.

"What, me and Fred do-"

"Don't care." Emery turned making her way to the check-out.

"But Fred likes-"

"Shut up." She called back, throwing her hands over her ears.

"I'm telling you-"

"Goodbye Angelina!"

* * *

Finally after a long wait, Emery emerged from the store with her purchases in hand. Draco stood under a pub just around the corner, inhaling the smoke that fell through a broken window and escaped into the fall air. He caught sight of her and automatically walked in her direction. He'd just talk to her now, he didn't want to wait for any more distractions like the one back in Honeydukes. He had perfect timing, because Emery just dropped her bag of candy on accident and it spilled over the cold ground. Draco jogged up, ready to snatch her bag up off the ground for her, but he once again was too late. Ron Weasley appeared and scooped it up off the ground. When he stood up straight he caught sight of Draco. Cursing, Draco altered his path from them to a bench sitting cozy between two fat maple trees that were bright red with fall colors.

He grew angry with each passing second. He never had distractions. It was rare for something to not work out in his favor, but first Angelina and now Weasley?

It wouldn't be the only time. After Weasley he attempted to follow her again, but this time she was stopped by a group of 4th year Gryffindor girls who asked her where she got the shoes she was wearing. Draco who was going to catch up with her to give her a piece of candy that fell from her bag ended up ducking behind a tree, waiting for the giggling girls to pass. But when he came around from his hiding spot, Emery was already in another conversation with Katie Bell.

Frustration took over Draco's senses. He turned back around from the tree, cursing to himself. Is this what he had become? Stalking his prey from behind a tree, afraid of getting caught? All for this stupid plan just to have a little fun. The thrill of the chase was diminishing quickly, and the twisted pleasure he got of the destruction of others was fading to no more than a faint interest of a hangnail.

By the time Draco realized he was caught up in his own thoughts, Emery had dissipated from sight. Draco looked in every direction, but the short blond was no where to be seen. The last string of composure he had snapped, and his face went blank. His feet led him back to the castle while he silently felt the anger of losing his prey build up inside of him. Numb with cold, he finally reached the castle doors, barely feeling himself push them open. He stood for a minute, unsure of what to do next. His hunt failed... or had it?

* * *

Emery took her time walking back up to the common room. The castle was silent, and the noisy 1st and 2nd year students were all at Hogsmeade. Any lingering students were tucked into the shadows with their partners, whispering in each other's ears. She felt a slight pain in her heart watching a couple sitting below a suit of armor holding hands and reading a book together. George flashed in her mind, and she instantly felt bad about how she reacted to his abandoning of their date today. They spent all their time together, it was selfish of her to be mad if he wanted to spend time with his brother too. He'll come in to the common room by nightfall, dragging his feet behind him, exhausted from his day's events. And she would be there sitting by the fire waiting with open arms for him. It was all she could do.

Although the castle was quiet already, the silence became uncomfortable. Something made goose-flesh roam over her arms as she took a turn down an abandoned hallway. None of the couples were there, and the temperature seemed to drop with each step she took. Her breathing was the only thing she could hear, and the last thing she remembered was the curdling scream from her own mouth as she was slammed against the stone wall and knocked unconscious.

* * *

George hurried back to the castle just as the sun was setting over the forbidden forest. Nothing would make this day better except taking his girlfriend into his arms by the fire and telling her all about his and Fred's adventures. A grin spread across his face as he burst into the castle until he was stopped in his tracks by Hermione, Ron, and Harry. They all shared the same anxious look while George's smile slowly disappeared.

"Something's happened George," Ron muttered, looking uncomfortable.

"What happened?"

"Emery is in the Hospital Wing, she was attacked."


	6. Chapter 6 : Unlikely Hero

**a/n: I will take the time now to just let you know this one is kind of a shorter chapter. I guess it is a fill chapter you could say until better events take place. Thanks for all the pleasant reviews and everyone who added my story to their story alerts. Thank you! **

**Disclaimer : I am not, nor will I ever be J.K. Rowling. I therefore do not own any and all characters from her Harry Potter series. I only own Emery Connolly. I don't have a lawyer so...**

**

* * *

**

George couldn't remember getting to the hospital wing, it was all a blur. He found himself bent over and trying with all his might to catch his breath while his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Glancing behind him, he seen a path of disgruntled students and scattered papers which led him to believe maybe he ran into a few people.

He'd apologize later.

Right now, his feet led him through the doors and his vision was filled with identical white beds, all of them empty except for one. Emery was lying there, her face marked with scratches and bruises. Her lips were covered in dried blood and George went white as a ghost. Half of his heart was lying unconscious in front of him, and he was powerless to do anything but stare. He almost didn't notice Malfoy leaning against the stone wall next to her bed.

"She hasn't done anything since I brought her here," He muttered, catching George off-guard. George glanced over at him, his face still emotionless.

"_You found her?" _He whispered, not sure how he should react with a Slytherin finding his girlfriend and bringing her here.

Malfoy simply shrugged, "I heard rustling while I was walking through the halls, I went to see what was the commotion and there she was, just like that."

George walked closer and knelt down to her side. His emotions had taken over, and although he didn't care much for Slytherins, let alone one that liked to belittle his family, he was grateful.

"Thanks," George admitted. He waited for a reply, but there came none. Malfoy just walked off, leaving Emery and George alone. Suddenly the silence grew too much for George, and he began to speak.

"Em, love, I don't know who did this to you, or why. I'll find them. I will. By my word as a Weasley I will make sure they regret it. I am sorry for leaving you earlier, if I hadn't you wouldn't be here. I could have stopped it. I am never letting you out of my sight after this."

Draco caught the end of his rant, just barely, as he listened from behind the wing's doors. He rolled his steel gray eyes. His goal just seemed a bit further out of his reach.

Back inside the wing, Emery stirred, and George leaped up, cupping her face in his hands as her eyes struggled to open.

"Emery..." He whispered, urging her to wake up.

"Don't... get your knickers... in a bunch..." Came the voice of an angel. George looked down, and still beyond the wounds, she looked beautiful. Emery held her lips in a small smile, her eyes twinkling from sleep. George grinned brightly back.

"Shame, I'm not wearing any," He winked, and Emery sighed a laugh.

"Better not be, I don't want to go down in Hogwarts history as the girl who dated the guy who wore panties."

"Even on your death bed you still will make fun of me," He poked her nose as gently as he could.

Emery flinched a little, but melted with the slight contact of skin. Then, a sigh escaped between her bruised lips, "Let's hope that doesn't come any time soon..."

* * *

"Easy now," Fred grunted, shifting Emery's arm on his shoulder, George on the other side balancing her weight. They eased the girl through the common room portrait hole as carefully as possible. Emery's face scrunched up as a pain in her right side shot up through her arm and down her leg. Fred and George offered to take her to the Great Hall for breakfast, and she had done well by herself until a couple of first years ran into her and she fell down. Her already cracked ribs had taken a long time to heal, even after taking the Skele-Gro potion, but with all those bloody first years running around, well, Emery didn't think they'd ever get better.

"You know, I appreciate the help, but you might have as well carried me, my feet aren't even touching the ground," Emery wiggled her legs back and forth underneath her.  
"Couldn't have just kept quiet and thanked us for the help could you?" Fred asked her sarcastically. He picked up her arm from around his shoulder and let Geroge carry her the rest of the way until they reached a couch next to the fireplace.

"Oh, Fred, sometimes I wish I could hear your sarcasm all the time," She said to him from over George's shoulder while she clung to to him like a koala bear.

"Color me green and call me a Slytherin, I'm flattered."

"Speaking of Slytherins," George broke in, "You should give Malfoy a big thanks next time you see the little ferret." Emery looked at him funny as he set her down softly.

"Draco Malfoy?

"No, Lucius," Fred rolled his eyes. Emery stuck her tongue out.

"Why should I thank him?"

"Well," George plopped down next to her, making her bounce a little, "He is the one who found you and brought you to Pomfrey."

Emery turned over the information she was just given silently in her head. A Slytherin helped her? And of all of them, Malfoy?

"Well, I'm convinced. It's a sign of the apocalypse," She announced after a few seconds.

George and Fred nodded and said, "Hell hath frozen over."

* * *

Emery tried force a sincere look on her face through most of Potions class, but each time she did, it turned out all weird. Could she honestly thank a Slytherin? Snape's voice was drowned out by the argument in her head. She cast Draco a few discrete glances every so often, to try and get a feel of what kind of mood he'd be in, but his face hid any emotion at all. Like stone. How fitting.

He had nice handwriting, she noticed, looking down at his page of notes, then looking at her half-written one. Which gave her a nice idea. She wouldn't have to thank him in person, she would simply write him a note. Brilliant, it was so easy.

Quickly she scribbled a little sentence on a corner of torn parchment, and pulled in under the table. Ever so carefully, she hit Draco's leg to get his attention. When he looked down, she held up the note to signal for him to take it. He did, but gave her a puzzled look before he opened it when Snape's back was turned.

_Thank you for finding me and taking me to the hospital wing the other day. Can't say I'd expect it from a Slytherin, but I am thankful. It was a nice thing you did. _

Emery watched him as he read it, waiting for some outlandish reaction, but it never happened. He folded the note back and stuffed it in his robe pocket before meeting her eyes. He held the gaze for a minute, then nodded and smiled. Emery was shocked, but almost proud. She got a sort of 'you are welcome' from him. Even a smile. Maybe this could be the beginning of a uniting of the Slytherins and Gryffindors.

Just then, Neville's pants began to pull up tight around him, and he stood up from his chair and scrambled to shove them down. Laughter sounded from the rest of the class as he fell down, his legs squirming all over the place. Looking back at Malfoy, Emery seen his hand move in circles with his wand in his grasp.

So much for the peace revolution...

* * *

Draco finally lowered his wand after Snape gave him a look, the interruption of the lecture was enough. Time to get back to work.

Longbottom stood up, his face red and trails of sweat ran down his forehead. A few snickers sounded behind Draco and he gave the embarrassed Gryffindor a smug smile. That entertainment would last him until his next class. He leaned back in his seat, reaching into his pocket and feeling the small portion of parchment on his fingers. He glanced back over at Emery who was in deep concentration, struggling to keep up with the notes as Snape fired off more information.

A step closer.

The random act of kindness from a Slytherin to a Gryffindor should be enough to help push her more into his direction. A few more ideas began to pop in his head, as he looked her up and down, taking in all the bruises and scratches on her, just beginning to heal. His own handy work.

It was _beautiful._

He remembered everything clearly. Her scream. The struggle she attempted that ended quickly. The way it was easy to throw her head against the wall. The feel of her ribs cracking underneath his foot. It was like a symphony in his mind.

Draco even could have received an award for best acting. The way he hurried to the hospital wing, Emery hanging limp over his arms, blood dripping on the floors leaving a gruesome trail behind them. The petrified look he gave to Madame Pomfrey as he handed her over, explaining how he had found her unconscious in the hallway. Even the Weasley twin had thanked him.

And that attack had left him with a buzz that had lasted for almost a week now, and showed no sign of fading away.

He was an unlikely hero in Emery's eyes, and that was enough for him at the moment, until he could break out new parts of his plan.


End file.
